Ricoh Theta SC (910740)

Continuation of the success story

A couple of years ago, the guys at Ricoh helped spark a boom in panoramic cameras with the Theta S. Their new Theta SC continues the same line of multi-functional devices with a relatively low price tag, but with a few changes.

Practical design

Externally, the Theta SC looks more like a voice recorder than a 360 camera. The only thing that gives it away is the lens at the top. This shape is ideal for a spherical camera, as it allows you to comfortably hold the camera in your hand and shoot from almost any angle without a tripod.

Manual mode as in a regular camera

The Theta SC has a 12 MP sensor that can shoot FullHD video at 30 frames per second or photos at 5376x2688 pixels. The resolution is not the highest, I would like 4K, but the quality of the pictures is very good. But there is support for the "Manual mode", which allows Theta SC to take portrait and landscape shots like a regular camera. The quality of the pictures is at the level of a good smartphone, but the ease of use is many times higher.

THETA+ branded application

But what raises questions is the lack of digital or optical stabilization. It is not always noticeable, but some panoramic videos look like a “realistic” fight from a Jason Bourne movie. However, this is easily fixed in the proprietary THETA+ application, where in addition to editing, you can add effects and captions to the video as in a regular photo-video editor.

Ergonomics 5+

But the ergonomics are at a very high level - photos and videos are taken literally in one click, the camera controls are intuitive and you get used to them in a matter of minutes. Theta SC is equipped with a microphone for recording sound, a Wi-Fi module, and a tripod mount. The camera has only built-in 8 GB of memory, there is no slot for a memory card, which is not very convenient.

The built-in battery allows you to take about 260 panoramic photos or 65 minutes of continuous recording, but with a limit of 25 minutes per video.